U.S. admiral wants pain-rayguns for Gulf fleet
Lewis Page
The Register
November 7, 2008
A US admiral has called for American warships operating in the Middle East to be equipped with microwave “pain ray” cannons to avoid using overwhelming lethal force.
- A d v e r t i s e m e n t
The Navy Times reports that Vice Admiral Bill Gortney, in command of the US 5th Fleet, has put out an “urgent need statement” seeking extra nonlethal weapons for his cruisers and destroyers to use against small boats at short ranges. The 5th Fleet is the US naval command covering the Red Sea, Arabian Sea, Persian/Arabian Gulf and the east African coast as far south as Kenya.
A problem for western warships in these waters is attacks or harassment by small, fast-moving speedboats. These manoeuvres may be carried out by such groups as the Iranian Revolutionary Guards – as seen recently in an incident near the Straits of Hormuz which almost escalated fatally after radio trolls joined in. Likewise, the Royal Navy was severely embarrassed by Pasdaran speedboats off the Shatt al’ Arab waterway last year.
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